I don’t usually think about eating sandwiches in the winter. Sandwiches usually = light, cool summer fare, at least in my mind. But when I was creating my weekly menu plan a few weeks ago, I came across a recipe for pickled daikon radishes and carrots (I’d just gotten a bunch of each in my Greenling box). At the end it said “Remove vegetables from liquid before using in banh mi.”

I’d never heard of banh mi before and did some googling. Turns out it’s a Vietnamese sandwich that has many, many variations, and many, many fans. There are entire websites devoted to cataloging the different types of banh mi you can make. Pickled daikon radishes and carrots are a common condiment, though, no matter which iteration you go with. So is cilantro, which I love. Mayonnaise is a typical spread, but since I think it’s disgusting (Mayo is Satan’s condiment. It’s true.) I ate my sandwich dry. The fillings were delicious enough without it. The site I link to below has many different meats and condiments you can use to create your own banh mi.

For the pork, combine all ingredients in a zip-lock bag and let the pork marinate for at least an hour. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add pork and marinade. Cook 3-4 minutes per side, until pork is cooked through.

To assemble the sandwiches, cut a slit lengthwise into each bollilo. Pull out some of the bread from the inside (this gives you more room for fillings). Fill with pork and condiments of your choice.

I made this a few weeks ago after an Indian craving struck. It made so much that I froze a bunch and am still eating it now!

This dal was incredibly hearty and warm, and the scents coming from my kitchen while this was cooking were fantastic. I felt like I walked into an Indian restaurant as it was cooking! Greenling delivered some beautiful baby collards and cauliflower, and I picked up a few late-season (or is it early-season?) tomatoes at the farmer’s market. I imagine that this recipe can be changed to use whatever produce you have on hand — turnips for the cauliflower, chard for the collards, etc.

The recipe notes not to add any additional water, but I needed to add ~3/4 c. to allow the lentils to cook through. It also made it a bit “saucier,” which I like (more to scoop with some flatbread!). Also, next time, I won’t stir the yogurt into the mixture at the end of cooking. It didn’t exactly curdle, but it was a weird texture. I preferred adding a dollop of yogurt on top of the dal right before serving.

In addition to the jalapeno popper dip, these nacho pinwheels are another tasty Super Bowl snack that uses lots of Local Box produce! They’re totally addicting and super easy, making them a great addition to your menu for this Sunday.

Finely minced red onion, jalapeno, or cilantro would also be great additions!

We had friends over in the middle of the week a few weeks ago, and while I love seeing them, it’s hard entertaining during the week! To make it a bit easier, I prepped the salads and put the pork in the slow cooker in the morning, and finished the salads when I got home from work. (If you chop the potatoes ahead of time, make sure that you soak them in water so they don’t turn brown.) With a simple green salad (the lettuce also came from our Local Box), there was plenty of food and all were happy!

Red Onion and Yellow Bean Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb. yellow beans, washed and trimmed

3/4 c. red onion, diced (about half of a large onion)

3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Steam the yellow beans in a steamer basket over a pot of salted boiling water for 7 minutes, or until the beans are tender, but al dente.

When the beans are still warm, toss with the onion, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.

Let sit for at least an hour before serving.

Herb Potato Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb. red potatoes, roughly chopped (I don’t peel them.)

4 Tbsp. chopped herbs (I used dill, but chives, parsley, cilantro, or thyme would be great here, too.)

3/4 c. red onion, diced (about half of a large onion)

1/3 c. mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. dijon mustard

2 tsp. white wine vinegar

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Boil the potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and can be pierced easily with a fork.

Drain the potatoes and toss them (while still warm) with the remaining ingredients. Adjust ingredients to taste, if necessary.

I had the best panzanella salad at Redd in Napa and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about panzanella since then! It’s a perfect summer salad that uses tomatoes and cucumbers at the height of ripeness.

If you’re planning on making this in the morning and taking it for lunch, don’t toss the bread with the rest of the salad. It’ll become soggy and laden with dressing, which isn’t quite what you’re going for!

Some people toast the bread, others rub it with garlic, there are so many variations. I just like it plain, but it’s great to play around.

These quantities are for a large, entree-sized portion for 1 person. Feel free to scale it up or down as necessary.

1/2 cup sliced red onion (I didn’t have red onion so I subbed a white one. Red is so much better.)

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. red-wine vinegar

10 fresh basil leaves, shredded

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, gently toss the ingredients together. Taste and adjust the ingredient levels as necessary.

Verdict:
So many wonderful flavors and textures in one dish! The bite of the red wine vinegar is a perfect match for the sweetness of the ripe tomatoes. Though the ingredients are so simple, it packs a huge flavor punch. It’s also a good base recipe, so if you want to throw other things in there (e.g., artichoke hearts, garlic) or substitute anything (e.g., shallots for red onions), it’s really forgiving.

We had a few friends come over before we went out, so I decided to whip up some pre-bar snacks! Our Greenling box was chock-full of fruit, peppers and onions this week, so everything I needed for this cantaloupe salsa was already in the fridge.

The flavors get much better after the salsa sits for a bit, so I’d allot at least an hour before serving.

Combine everything in a bowl and let marinate for 1 hour before serving with chips.

Verdict:
Along the same lines as mango salsa, this cantaloupe salsa is a refreshing change to the typical tomato or tomatillo-based salsas. The sweet-spicy combination would be a great compliment to grilled fish or chicken.

Greenling is an online grocery store specializing in home delivery of local and certified-organic food. We buy directly from the same local, sustainable farmers you’d see at the farmer’s market. Free delivery to your doorstep is just the icing on the (local) cake!